Surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance and fault notification functions

Abstract

To provide a surface-emitting road surface signal light system comprising a voice guidance function to allow pedestrians to cross a crosswalk safely, as well as, a failure notification function to notify, when failure occurs, a remote integrated control center or an administrator's smart device, of the failure, thereby, allowing for a rapid response.SOLUTION: A surface-emitting road surface signal light system comprises: traffic lights provided on signal poles at both ends of a crosswalk, respectively, and each including a red light and a green light; road surface signal lights installed on both ends of the crosswalk, respectively, on a road surface, and operating in conjunction with the traffic lights; sound generation devices that are installed on the signal poles, respectively, and each broadcast crossing guidance when the green light is turned on; and a control unit that controls operation of the traffic lights, the road surface signal lights, and the sound generation devices. The surface-emitting road surface signal light system further comprises: failure detection units that each detect whether failure occurs in the traffic light or the road surface signal light; and a communication unit that is installed in the control unit, and transmits a failure occurrence signal together with location information to an integrated control center or an administrator's smart device in response to the signal from the failure detection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a surface light-emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function, and more particularly to a surface light-emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function to enable pedestrians to cross a crosswalk safely, and a fault notification function to notify a remote integrated control center or a manager's smart device of a fault in the event of a fault, thereby enabling a quick response. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, pedestrian traffic lights are installed at both ends of a crosswalk and are one of the traffic safety measures that guide pedestrians whether they can enter or not using red and green lights. Therefore, pedestrians can cross the crosswalk safely by entering only when the green light is on, not when the red light is on.

[0003] However, as the use of smartphones has increased recently, more and more people are looking down to concentrate on their smartphone screens and not paying attention to their surroundings. These people are called Smombies (Smartphone + Zombie), and Smombies do not check traffic lights when crossing the street, which can lead to traffic accidents.

[0004] Therefore, to prevent traffic accidents involving Smonbees, traffic lights are installed on both sides of the crosswalk so that people can see the current crosswalk signals without having to look up, and these are called "street signal lights." In other words, road signal lights are installed on both sides of the crosswalk so that people who are looking down can see the crosswalk signals, thereby minimizing the occurrence of traffic accidents. These road signal lights have LEDs for generating signals installed inside a transparent or semi-transparent case, and the LEDs emit red or green light to indicate the current crosswalk stop signal or walk signal.

[0005] In addition, sound generators are sometimes installed on traffic lights to help people with poor eyesight or the elderly to cross the road safely. These sound generators provide audio information about traffic light changes as well as directional information.

[0006] A traffic light system that is equipped with road signal lights and sound generators in addition to traffic lights installed on signal poles is called a smart traffic light system. However, if a malfunction occurs in a road signal light in such a smart traffic light system, pedestrians will not be able to cross the crosswalk safely unless a prompt response is made.

[0007] However, conventional smart signal light systems have the problem that even if a road signal light malfunctions, the system cannot take action unless the administrator confirms the malfunction upon notification by the person who discovers it, resulting in delayed action.

[0008] Meanwhile, as a result of searching for prior art related to the present invention, a large number of patent documents were found, some of which are described below.

[0009] Patent Document 1 discloses a smart AI traffic light system including: a pillar unit that is installed at the edge of a road where a crosswalk is formed and on which a traffic signal is installed; a pedestrian waiting area set with a predetermined width on the road surface on which the pillar unit is installed so that pedestrians can wait while waiting for the signal to come before crossing the crosswalk; a voice sending unit that is installed at the pillar unit and sends guidance information by voice to pedestrians waiting in the pedestrian waiting area; an information display unit that is installed at the pillar unit and displays guidance information using a display to pedestrians waiting in the pedestrian waiting area; a detection unit that is installed at the pillar unit and detects the presence of pedestrians in the pedestrian waiting area; a lighting unit that is installed at the pillar unit and irradiates light onto the pedestrian waiting area; and a control unit that controls the operation of the traffic signal, the voice sending unit, the information display unit, the detection unit, and the lighting unit; and the smart AI traffic light system is embodied so that it can automatically recognize pedestrians waiting at the signal and activate the walking signal.

[0010] Patent Document 2 discloses a pedestrian safety system linked to a pedestrian crossing signal that includes a traffic light determination unit that receives a signal from a traffic light control unit and determines whether the pedestrian signal is a walk signal, a stop signal, or a flashing signal, a laser illuminator that is installed on the top of a pedestrian crossing signal pole and detects pedestrians by illuminating a number of laser surfaces onto the safety line area of ​​the pedestrian crossing when the traffic light determination unit determines that the signal is a stop signal or a flashing signal, a pedestrian direction determination unit that receives a pedestrian detection signal from the laser illuminator and determines the direction of travel of the pedestrian, and a control unit that outputs a corresponding announcement or warning sound through an audio output unit when the pedestrian direction determination unit determines that the pedestrian is entering a roadway from the sidewalk.

[0011] Patent Document 3 discloses a smart traffic light warning device that manages the pedestrian safety of smartphone users at a crosswalk, comprising: a warning device main body case that is configured to be installed on either side of the stop line of the crosswalk; a pedestrian detection sensor unit that is configured to be installed on a side of the warning device main body case and detects a pedestrian when the pedestrian crosses the stop line and provides a detection signal to a main control unit; a main control unit that acquires a walking signal to be provided to a pedestrian traffic light from a signal control panel, and when the acquired walking signal is a walking stop signal, provides a warning sound operation signal to an audio output unit that is configured to be installed in the vicinity of the crosswalk and provides a hazard warning light operation signal to a light-emitting lamp that is configured to be installed on the road surface of the crosswalk. a sound output unit that is installed and configured around the crosswalk and outputs a set warning sound when a warning sound operation signal is provided from the main control unit, and outputs a set walking sound when a walking sound operation signal is provided from the main control unit; and a light-emitting lamp that is installed and configured on the road surface of the crosswalk and turns on a hazard warning light when a hazard warning light operation signal is provided from the main control unit, and turns on a walking light when a walking light operation signal is provided from the main control unit. The smart signal light warning device disclosed herein prevents pedestrians from getting into their smartphones and also supports the walking of visually impaired people, and is configured to manage the safety of pedestrians walking at crosswalks for smartphone users.

[0012] Patent Document 4 discloses a plurality of blocks having embossed upper surfaces so that they rub against the soles of shoes of pedestrians to generate frictional noise; a plurality of sensors for detecting frictional noise generated when the embossments formed on the upper surfaces of the plurality of blocks rub against a pedestrian; a plurality of amplifiers for amplifying and outputting the frictional noise detected by the plurality of sensors; a plurality of level limiters for limiting the level of the frictional noise output from the plurality of amplifiers to thereby limit and output a signal output so that it can be confirmed that a person standing on the plurality of blocks is a pedestrian; a plurality of pilot speakers for generating pilot signals to confirm the presence or absence of abnormalities in the plurality of sensors; and a plurality of level limiters for limiting the level of the frictional noise output from the plurality of amplifiers to thereby confirm that a person standing on the plurality of blocks is a pedestrian. The present invention discloses a traffic light control device that detects when a pedestrian is waiting to cross the road and controls the traffic light, comprising: a plurality of pilot signal amplifiers that amplify and input pilot signals to a pilot speaker; a warning speaker that generates a warning sound for pedestrians attempting to cross the road, and a warning signal amplifier that amplifies and outputs a warning signal to the warning speaker; and a control unit that receives signals output from the plurality of level limiters, confirms the presence of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road, outputs a control signal to a traffic light control unit that controls the lighting of the traffic light, outputs pilot signals to the plurality of pilot signal amplifiers, and controls the output of a warning signal to the warning signal amplifier.

[0013] Patent Document 5 discloses a directional speaker having a number of piezoelectric ceramic cells, which is provided in each piezoelectric ceramic cell and has an adjustment unit for adjusting the output direction of acoustic waves generated from the piezoelectric ceramic cell, thereby preventing interference from wave output parts of the piezoelectric ceramic cells, thereby improving directionality and outputting sound. Since improved sound quality is output with a smaller number of piezoelectric ceramic cells, the number of piezoelectric ceramic cells installed can be reduced, thereby reducing costs.

[0014] Patent Document 6 discloses a surface-emitting signal light with improved visibility and durability, comprising: an LED module that generates light for signals; a lower case and an upper case that house the LED module inside; a signal light body that includes a case seal that is configured at a position where the lower case and the upper case are sandwiched to waterproof the LED module; and a protective housing that is configured from aluminum die-casting and protects the signal light body, the protective housing being configured in a well shape that surrounds the sides and bottom of the signal light body except for the top surface, and the protective housing prevents the signal light body, which includes polycarbonate, from coming into direct contact with the ground. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0015] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-2244152 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent No. 10-1879383 [Patent Document 3] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0098853 [Patent Document 4] Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-1998-059751 [Patent Document 5] Korean Patent No. 10-1566652 [Patent Document 6] Korean Patent No. 10-2108789 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0016] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and has an object to provide a surface-emitting road signal light system that has a voice guidance function to enable pedestrians to cross a crosswalk safely, and also has a malfunction notification function that notifies a remote integrated control center or an administrator's smart device of a malfunction in the event of a malfunction, enabling rapid response. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a crosswalk control system including: signal lights, including red and green lights, provided on signal poles installed vertically at both ends of a crosswalk in the crossing direction; road signal lights, installed on the road surface at both ends of the crosswalk in the crossing direction, and operating in conjunction with traffic lights; a sound generating device, installed on the signal pole, that broadcasts crossing guidance when the green light is turned on; and a control unit that controls the operation of the traffic lights, road signal lights, and sound generating device; and further including a failure detection unit provided on each of the traffic lights and road signal lights to detect whether or not there is a failure in the traffic lights or road signal lights, and a communication unit provided in the control unit that transmits a failure occurrence signal together with location information to an integrated control center or a manager's smart device in response to a signal from the failure detection unit.

[0018] In addition, according to the surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function of the present invention, the integrated control center or smart device is characterized by having an alarm generating unit that issues an alarm when it receives a fault occurrence signal from the communication unit of the control unit.

[0019] In addition, according to the surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function of the present invention, the integrated control center is characterized by having a fault notification unit that transmits location information of the faulty road signal light to the administrator's smart device when a fault occurrence signal is received from the communication unit of the control unit.

[0020] In addition, according to the surface light emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function of the present invention, the road signal light is divided into a plurality of parts, and each of the divided road signal lights is provided with a fault detection unit.

[0021] In addition, according to the surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function of the present invention, the road signal light is divided into lengths of 30 to 40 cm, and each divided road signal light is connected in parallel. Effect of the Invention

[0022] The surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function of the present invention is equipped with a road signal light and a sound generating device, and not only enables pedestrians who are looking down or visually impaired pedestrians to cross the crosswalk safely, but also has the effect of quickly dealing with a fault in the traffic light or road signal light by notifying the integrated control center or the administrator's smart device of the fact, thereby maintaining smooth passage across the crosswalk.

[0023] In addition, according to the surface-emitting road signal light system of the present invention having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function, an alarm sound generating unit is provided in the integrated control center or smart device, so that if a fault occurs in a traffic light or road signal light of the smart signal light system, the fact can be quickly recognized and a response can be made.

[0024] In addition, according to the surface-emitting road signal light system of the present invention equipped with voice guidance function and fault notification function, a fault notification unit is provided in the integrated control center, and if a fault occurs in a signal light or road signal light of the smart signal light system, this fact is quickly notified to the manager's smart device, enabling early response.

[0025] Furthermore, according to the surface-emitting road signal light system of the present invention with voice guidance and fault notification functions, the road signal light is divided into a number of pieces and connected in parallel, and each road signal light is equipped with a fault detection unit. This not only makes it possible to deal with a fault occurring in only a portion of the road signal light rather than the entire road signal light, but also has the effect of allowing pedestrians looking down to pass through the crosswalk safely by using the remaining road signal lights even if a fault occurs in only a portion of the road signal light. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a surface light emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a surface light-emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an integrated control center of the surface light emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a road signal light and a control unit in a surface light-emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a surface light emitting road signal light system having a voice guidance function and a fault notification function of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] The terms used in the present invention are terms defined in consideration of their functions in the present invention, and may vary depending on the intentions or practices of a user or operator. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be interpreted according to the meanings and concepts consistent with the technical matters of the present invention.

[0029] At the same time, the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative of the elements presented in the claims of the present invention, and are embodiments including elements that are included in the technical idea throughout the entire specification of the present invention and can be replaced as equivalents from the elements in the claims.

[0030] In the following examples, optional terms are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited to the terms.

[0031] Therefore, in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known techniques that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

[0032] For explaining a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an integrated control center of the surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the road signal light and control unit in the surface-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function according to the present invention.

[0033] The surface light emitting road signal light system with voice guidance and fault notification functions according to the present invention comprises a traffic light (10), a road signal light (20), a sound generating device (30), a control unit (40) and an integrated control center (100), as shown in Figures 1 to 4.

[0034] The traffic light (10) is installed on a signal pole (11) that is installed vertically at both ends of the crosswalk (50) in the crossing direction, and includes at least a red light and a green light. The green light is configured to change to a flashing signal after a certain time has passed since it was turned on, and may further include a remaining time display unit that shows the remaining time until the red light is turned on. The traffic light (10) also includes a failure detection unit (15) that checks for the presence or absence of a failure based on whether the red light or green light is turned on.

[0035] The road signal lights (20) are installed on the road surface at both ends of the crosswalk (50) in the crossing direction and operate in conjunction with the traffic lights (10). At this time, the road signal lights (20) also have a malfunction detector (25) for detecting the presence or absence of a malfunction.

[0036] It is preferable that the road signal lamp (20) is divided into a plurality of unit signal lamps each having a length of 30 to 40 cm corresponding to the width of the crosswalk (50) and connected in parallel as shown in Fig. 4. In this case, it is more preferable that each divided road signal lamp (20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4) is provided with a fault detection unit (25-1, 25-2, 25-3, 25-4), and each fault detection unit (25-1, 25-2, 25-3, 25-4) operates independently.

[0037] This not only makes it possible to deal with a case where a failure occurs not in the entire road signal (20) but in only part of the road signal (20), but also makes it possible for a pedestrian looking down to be guided to the traffic signal by the remaining road signal (20) even when a failure occurs in only part of the road signal (20), thereby enabling the pedestrian to pass safely across the crosswalk.

[0038] The sound generating device (30) is installed on a signal pole (11) and broadcasts crossing instructions when the green light of the traffic light (10) is turned on, and it is preferable to configure a directional speaker by installing a guide that outputs sound only in a certain direction.More preferably, the sound generating device (30) is installed on a bollard or signal pole installed in a specific area in front of the crossing and is activated by a signal from a sensor that detects objects, and outputs specific instructions to objects by sound, such as "step back," "walk while looking left and right," "cross quickly," and "use the next signal."

[0039] The control unit (40), as shown in FIG. 2, controls the operation of the traffic lights (10), road signal lights (20) and sound generating devices (30), and includes a communication unit (45) for transmitting a fault occurrence signal together with location information to the integrated control center (100) in response to a signal from a fault detection unit (15) (25) provided in the traffic lights (10) or road signal lights (20), respectively.

[0040] The integrated control center (100) manages a number of smart signal light systems in an integrated manner, and as shown in FIG. 3, includes a display (110) on which a map showing the smart signal light systems in each region is displayed, a receiving unit (120) for receiving a fault occurrence signal transmitted from a communication unit (45) provided in the control unit (40) of each smart signal light system, an alarm generating unit (130) for issuing an alarm when a fault occurrence signal is received from the communication unit (45) provided in the control unit (40) of each smart signal light system, a fault notification unit (140) for transmitting location information of the road signal light (20) where a fault has occurred to an administrator when a fault occurrence signal is received from the communication unit (45) provided in the control unit (40) of each smart signal light system, and a main control unit (150) for controlling these.

[0041] The surface light-emitting road signal light system with voice guidance function and fault notification function of the present invention configured as described above is equipped with all the road signal lights and sound generating devices, so that even pedestrians who are looking down or pedestrians who are hearing impaired can cross the crosswalk safely, and if a fault occurs in the traffic light or road signal light, the fact is notified to the integrated control center or the administrator's smart device, allowing for a quick response.

[0042] As explained above, when a malfunction occurs in a traffic light or road signal light, a fixing signal is transmitted to the manager's smart device via the integrated control center. However, when a malfunction occurs in a traffic light or road signal light, a malfunction signal can be transmitted directly to the manager's smart device without going through the integrated control center, allowing for rapid response measures to be taken.

[0043] The present invention has been described above, but this is for the purpose of illustrating the invention, and a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand that various modifications or equivalent embodiments are possible from the detailed description of the invention. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10...Traffic lights 11...Signal pole 15...fault sensing section 20(20-1,20-2,20-3,20-4)...road signal light 25(25-1,25-2,25-3,25-4)...fault sensing section 30... Sound generating device 40...Control section 45...Communications Department 50...Pedestrian crossing 100... Integrated Control Center 110...Display 120...Receiver 130...Alarm generation unit 140...Fault notification section 150...Main control unit

Claims

1. A traffic light (10) including a red light and a green light, the traffic light (10) being provided on a signal pole (11) installed vertically at each end of the crosswalk (50); a road signal light (20) installed on the road surface at both ends of the crosswalk (50) in the crossing direction and operated in conjunction with the traffic light (10); a sound generating device (30) installed on the signal pole (11) for making a crossing announcement when the green light is on; A control unit (40) that controls the operation of the traffic light (10), the road signal light (20), and the sound generating device (30); and Including an integrated control center (100) or a manager's smartphone, The system includes a fault detection unit (15, 25) provided in each of the traffic lights (10) and the road signal lights (20) to detect the presence or absence of a fault in the traffic lights (10) or the road signal lights (20), and a communication unit (45) provided in the control unit (40) for transmitting a fault occurrence signal together with location information to an integrated control center (100) or a manager's smartphone in response to a signal from the fault detection unit (15, 25), and the integrated control center (100) or the manager's smartphone a warning generating unit (130) that issues a warning when a failure occurrence signal is received from the communication unit (45) of the control unit (40), and the integrated control center (100) is equipped with a failure notification unit (140) that transmits location information of the road signal light (20) in which a failure has occurred to a manager's smartphone when a failure occurrence signal is received from the communication unit (45) of the control unit (40), The road signal light (20) is divided into a plurality of parts, and each of the divided road signal lights (20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4) is provided with a failure detection unit (25-1, 25-2, 25-3, 25-4).

2. The road signal lamp (20) is divided into a plurality of unit signal lamps each having a length of 30 to 40 cm corresponding to the width of the crosswalk (50), 2. The surface light emitting road signal light system with a voice guidance function and a fault notification function according to claim 1, wherein each of the divided road signal lights (20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4) is connected in parallel.

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